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Lebanon Seaboard History

Beginnings

Our history begins in 1947, when founder Vernon Bishop successfully led the growth of Central Chemical Corporation (later to be named Lebanon Seaboard Corp.) business through fertilizer sales to farmers under the Farm-Rite label. Within a few short years, Lebanon become the exclusive producer of Sears and Roebuck’s 5-10-5 fertilizer and went on to provide fertilizers for major chain stores and corporations, including Agrico, Chevron, Eli Lilly and Glorion.

Lebanon Seaboard Innovations and Milestones

Late 1940’s Lebanon was one of the first manufacturers to put weed killer in fertilizer.

Produced pesticides for the United Nations campaign to eradicate malaria, for 20 years.

In the 1950’s Lebanon learned the process for making “ureaform” – a controlled release fertilizer from Allied Chemical. This became the core process for making homogenous lawn and garden fertilizers.

From the 1960’s to late 1990’s, Lebanon continued expansion through over 30 business acquisitions which included:

In 1987, Katherine Bishop, a physicist with a MBA degree joined the corporation to lead the farm business and is currently, President of Lebanon Seaboard Corp.

In 1993 the company name was changed to Lebanon Seaboard Corporation.

Lebanon Turf Products, the professional division of Lebanon Seaboard starts development of proprietary seed varieties, growing in company facilities in key Oregon and Washington state areas. Lebanon's seed breeding program has been successful in producing a number of the world's best proprietary seed varieties - top-rated for quality by the national Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP).

In 1998, Lebanon sold the farm division and focused on expanding professional turf and consumer lawn and garden markets.

In addition, Lebanon obtained the rights to an enhanced methylene urea fertilizer technology under the brand name METH-EX®. METH-EX® is a slow release nitrogen technology exclusive to Lebanon Seaboard products.

In 1998, a new process called composite granulation was developed, combining the industry's preferred nitrogen sources to form a revolutionary homogeneous fertilizer.

Lebanon Seaboard Corporation Today

We continue our commitment to innovative new product research and development which brings advancements in nitrogen technology and the creation of new product lines that out-perform competitive brands.

Today, Lebanon Seaboard is a world class, single-source producer of lawn and garden supplies, wild bird food, and professional turf and horticultural products. Once a single plant in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, it now operates 6 producing locations in 3 states and employs over 300 people. Our professional division leads the field in terms of product diversity and innovation, providing turf professionals worldwide with products that deliver optimal results. Our retail division is one of the nation's premium suppliers of consumer products (brands include Preen®, GreenView®, Lyric®), recognized for cutting edge technology, differentiated packaging and brand marketing.

Lebanon Seaboard Corporation has prospered over half a century in an industry constantly challenged by change and strong competition. We continue to thrive and remain dedicated to the industries we proudly serve.